It is quite alarming that many young people in Germany do not fulfil the pre-requisites for vocational training. According to child and adolescent psychiatrist, Michael Winterhoff, many of the young people in Germany today not only lack the basic competences in German and maths, but also lacking in social competences such as work ethic, punctuality and structure.
These
young people do not share the same passion in the workplace as they do for
computer games. Winterhoff believes that it all goes back to early childhood
education, to between ages three to six when our abilities start to evolve.
As
children are seen, led and guided as children for at least 15 years, their
maturity develops at a slower pace. Adults tend to explain and demonstrate a
skill to their children instead of letting them to explore and try it out
themselves.
In
school, teachers are receding into the background, assuming the role of mentor
or coach. Students in the primary school are left to teach themselves how to
read, write and do maths, with the senior levels teaching the junior levels.
Winterhoff
sees this as detrimental towards children’s psychology as they often attend
school just to gain their mothers’ approval and do things they do not like just
for their teachers’ sake.
Often,
many parents hold on to the motto “even if nobody out there loves me, my child
at least should do so” when they themselves faced with growing loss of
orientation and recognition. This thinking has put a negative impact on the
growing children as these children feel that adults are bigger and stronger
than they are.
Given
the general uncertainty and anxiety about the society’s future, parents start
to merge with their children’s minds and develop false reactions that hinder
emotional development. Hence, according to Winterhoff, they end up in a cycle
of egocentric, inability to cope with life, lacking in independence and
unemployability. In fact, this is a global phenomenon seen in all wealthy
countries.
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